Our journey to parenthood

FET Day Has Been Set!

Yesterday’s appointment brought the news that we are all set for a frozen embryo transfer on August 9! My lining measured in at 9.31, my estradiol at 987 pg/mL, and both of my ovaries have returned to normal size. Daddy Graham and I are beyond excited (and nervous) to begin this next chapter. While we prepare mentally and physically for what’s to come, we are busying ourselves with the practical day to day matters, foremost is the lengthy prescription protocol we are currently in the midst of:

Prednisone (2x day) (low dose steroid to help combat inflammation, which is detrimental to implantation)

low dose aspirin (1x day) (to help improve blood flow)

pre-natal vitamins (which has been on-going since we started this process)

New (beginning Friday, August 4):

Cleocin Vaginal Ovules (1x day from Fri-Sun) (vaginal antibiotic in preparation for FET)

Progesterone In Oil (the dreaded PIO!) (1x day intramuscularly) (to thicken the uterine lining and prepare the body to support the embryo, so the embryo will successfully implant and grow)

Endometrin suppositories (1x day from Sat-Wed) (see PIO – same purpose; my clinic uses a combo of progesterone supplements for a FET)

Prograf (Tacrolimus) (2x day from Mon-Wed) (used to decrease the likelihood of the body rejecting the FET)

Whew – also, Daddy Graham and I decided that we would go forward with the three additional treatments I described in the last post: hCG uterine wash and intralipids transfusion (both scheduled for Monday) and acupuncture before and after the FET.

The question that is weighing heavy on our minds right now is how many embryos to transfer – one or two. There are a lot of considerations that are going in to this decision, with the understanding that Daddy Graham and I will most likely only go through the whole IVF process once. We actually had always spoken about transferring two – but the NP at my last appointment strongly recommended we go with only one, which left me in a bit of a quandary. On the one hand, two embryos and the possibility of twins is thrilling (siblings! forever playmates!) and on the other, terrifying (greater pregnancy risk! financially overwhelming! the possibility of – gulp – triplets or quads). When I have envisioned being pregnant, it has always been with one baby – but the chance of having two children and doubling the love is ever-attractive.

Our plan has been that, once my maternity leave is over (fingers crossed I will have enough time saved for 12 weeks), I will return to work and Daddy Graham will stay home with the kiddo(s). We decided on this as my job is well-established and well-paying and Daddy Graham is looking to switch careers. In fact, during this process, Daddy Graham has been applying to graduate school to become a PA. A notoriously cutthroat competition for few spots left Daddy Graham feeling like it may be a distant possibility, but today we found out he has progressed to the interview stage! Having Daddy Graham in school with a little one has now also become intermixed into our decision-making process. ALL GOOD THINGS!